Is This All There Is?

Have you ever stopped and wondered, “Is this all there is?”

All the hurrying and scurrying. The constant chasing. The quiet dissatisfaction that lingers no matter what we do.

If we are honest, most of us have asked that question. And not just once.

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes puts it plainly: “Everything is meaningless… a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Sit with that for a moment.

It sure can feel like that, eh?

The Story We’ve Been Told

Some of us look for answers in different pursuits or belief systems. Some promise purpose. Others say there is none.

I am not trying to explore all those options here. I want to speak to those of us who believe Jesus is the answer, and who have been told that the goal of that faith is to reach heaven and leave this world behind.

Has that been the story for you?

That one day we will finally escape all of this?

Like the old spiritual says:

Some glad morning, when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away…

For much of my Christian life, I believed that. I was taught that God has a place prepared for us in heaven, and that one day we will leave this world behind and live with him there forever.

I am coming to believe that this is not quite right.

What Scripture Actually Promises

Let me be clear. I have not lost faith. If anything, I am becoming more convinced of the Christian hope, not less.

Scripture does teach that when we die, we are with Jesus. Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Paul says that to be “away from the body” is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

That is real comfort.

But it is not the end of the story.

Why the Resurrection Matters

Which brings us back to the question: Is this all there is?

If the goal is simply to leave this world behind, it becomes hard to see why any of this matters. And it raises another question:

What was the point of the resurrection?

If God’s plan was to take us away, why did Jesus rise bodily from the dead?

The resurrection tells us something important.

God is not abandoning his creation. He is redeeming it.

Jesus’ resurrection is not an escape from the world, but the beginning of its renewal. As Paul says, Christ is “the firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20). What happened to him is a preview of what God intends to do for his people, and for creation itself.

Not Escape, but Renewal

The Christian hope is not that we leave this world behind, but that God will make it new.

Revelation gives us a picture of that future: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (Revelation 21:3). There is a new heaven and a new earth. Not an escape from creation, but its restoration.

This helps us make sense of Jesus’ words that he came so that we may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Why This Matters Now

And yet, if we are honest, that life can feel far away.

We age. We struggle. Relationships remain complicated. The world still feels broken. Loneliness, injustice, and suffering are not hard to find.

It is no wonder that an “escape to heaven” view is appealing.

But Scripture points us somewhere deeper.

From the beginning, humanity was created for relationship with God (Genesis 1:26–27). The problem is not that creation exists, but that it is broken. And God has not given up on it.

In Christ, he has begun putting things right.

The Hope Ahead

So when we ask, “Is this all there is?”, the answer is no.

There is more. Not less than this world, but more than it has yet become.

We will be with Jesus when we die. That is our comfort. But that is not where the story ends.

We will be raised, as he was raised (1 Corinthians 15:42–44).

We do not know exactly what those resurrection bodies will be like, but we know they will be whole, free from decay, and fit for the life God has prepared.

A life not in this present broken world, and not in a purely spiritual existence, but in the new creation God has promised.

God will dwell with us, and we with him. We will know him as we are known (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Living in That Hope

This gives us hope, not just for the future, but for today.

When the days are long and the work is heavy, when we feel worn down, we are not left without help. We can turn to God in prayer, trusting his promises in Christ.

Because this is not all there is.

God is at work. And one day heaven and earth will be made one.

Even so, Lord Jesus, come.

The Quiet Strength of Waiting

Waiting is not something we tend to do well.

Our lives move quickly. We are taught to act, to decide, to move forward. Waiting can feel uncomfortable, even unproductive. When delays come, our first instinct is often frustration.

Yet Scripture speaks often about waiting, and it does so in a way that feels almost counter to our instincts.

Isaiah writes:

“But those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.”
— Isaiah 40:31

At first glance, waiting can sound like inactivity. It can feel like being asked to sit still while life moves on around us. But the kind of waiting Isaiah describes is something deeper.

Waiting on the Lord is not passive. It is attentive.

Think of the work of a waiter in a restaurant. A waiter listens carefully. They receive an order, carry it out, and return ready to serve again. Their waiting is not idle. It is active, watchful, and responsive.

In a similar way, waiting on the Lord places us in a posture of attentiveness. We come before Him ready to listen, ready to receive, ready to respond.

Another picture may help.

When you wait for a bus, you go to a particular place because you expect the bus will come. You stand there with confidence that, at the appointed time, it will arrive and take you where you need to go.

Waiting has purpose. It is filled with expectation.

Waiting on the Lord carries that same sense of quiet confidence. We come before God expecting Him to meet us. We bring our weariness, our uncertainty, our need.

And Isaiah gives us the promise: those who wait upon the Lord will find their strength renewed.

The waiting itself becomes part of the work God is doing in us. In the stillness, He restores what has been worn down. In the quiet, He renews what has grown tired.

Waiting on the Lord is not wasted time.

It is the place where strength returns.

So the invitation remains simple and steady.

Wait upon the Lord.

And trust that, in His time, He will meet you there.

Held by a Father Who Never Lets Go

 

A Promise She Cannot Yet Understand

A new grandfather holds his baby granddaughter in his arms. He looks at her and tells her how much he loves her. He promises he will always be there for her.

He means every word.

The baby has no idea what he is saying. She cannot grasp the depth of his love or the weight of his promises. She does not know what it means for someone to always be there. She simply rests in his arms, unaware of the fierce devotion surrounding her tiny life.

My friend sees this and says, “This is so much like us with God.”

She is right.

Words We Barely Comprehend

Our Heavenly Father speaks love over us. He makes promises that stretch beyond time. Yet we often understand so little of what He is saying.

Zephaniah gives us this picture:

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

Pause there.

He delights in you.
He calms your fears.
He rejoices over you with singing.

These are not distant words. They are deeply personal.

God is not only Creator, though He formed you with intention. He is Father. Scripture says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).

Children. That is who we are.

Love Made Visible

When Jesus entered our world, God stepped into flesh and blood. He revealed the Father’s heart. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Christ secured our redemption.

God’s love is not abstract. It is embodied. It is demonstrated.

As a grandfather speaks tenderly to his grandchild, so God speaks to us.

Learning Love Over Time

My granddaughter, Zipporah, is just sixteen days old. Sweet sixteen.

When I hold her, I tell her I love her. I promise to protect her and to provide for her as I am able. I want her to know that her Poppy loves her more than she can imagine.

She does not understand my words.

So I show her.

I comfort her. I respond when she cries. I support her parents in practical ways. One day she will begin to understand what has always been true. She is deeply loved.

This is how our Father deals with us.

Often we are like infants in His arms. We hear about His faithfulness, His presence, His provision. Yet life presses in. We struggle. We doubt. We ask where He is.

Still, He shows up.

He meets us in quiet ways. He provides in ways we do not always recognize at first. He speaks through Scripture, through others, through unexpected peace. Over time, we begin to perceive what has always been there. His steadfast love.

Paul prayed this for Believers:

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17–19)

To grasp a love that surpasses knowledge.

There is mystery there. Depth beyond comprehension. Yet it is love meant to be known.

When We Feel Forgotten

There are seasons when we feel abandoned. Prayers seem to echo back unanswered. We wonder if God has stepped away.

Scripture anchors us:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)

Nothing can separate you from His love.

Not your past.
Not your present confusion.
Not your fear of the future.

Through Isaiah, God speaks with fatherly tenderness:

“I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (Isaiah 46:3–4)

He carries you.

From the beginning, God instructed the priests to bless His people with these words:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24–26)

This is not a distant God. This is a Father whose face shines as He lifts His child. This is His posture toward you.

Held, Even Now

So be encouraged.

When life grows loud, return to these truths. Hide them in your heart. Ask the Spirit to remind you who you are. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16).

You may not yet grasp the magnitude of His promises. You may not fully understand the depth of His love.

But you are held.

And He is not going anywhere.

Let me leave you with this blessing:

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” (Jude 24-25)